college = STRESS

[tahlia]

Most people here on in college. . . how do you mange school/work/personal life??? I get so overwhelemed with school work. My job is pretty easy, i even get to do my homework there. But by the time i get home zt night im so exhausted that i usually end up going to bed late (after reading and writing papers) only to get up the next day to do it all over again. Next week I'm starting an internship (so excited!) I'm not complaining b/c i love learning and any aspect of school but lately i feel so overwhelemed. . . .
just curious how everyone else deals with the stress of college? any advice??

[zeldafitzgerald]

For me it was just managing my time impeccably. I'm an organization nut, but that's how I got through college (I graduated in May). I worked 15-25 hours a week at my college paper for four years, and my senior year I also did 10-15 hours of graphic design a week at the performing arts center. I got through it, and managed to graduate with honors by strictly mapping out what classes I took. I took about 12 credits a semester, and took classes every summer so that I could graduate in 4 years with only 12 credits/semester. I spent weeks before each class enrollment carefully planning what classes to take. Working at the paper, I had an advantage of being surrounded by people in my major, so I got advice on professors from all the older students. I learned exactly who the best professors were so that I didn't have to suffer through a semester with a horrid prof. I also learned what classes were going to be killers, so I could make sure to spread them out so they weren't all the same semester - or took them in the summer when they are shorter/less painful.

I was jam packed from 8am to 5 or 6 pm every day with work and classes, but that's how I liked it. That way I had evenings and weekends free. I did homework a lot, nights and weekends, but I also made sure to have fun. I lived in the dorms for 3 of my 4 years because I found they offered the best mix of fun and work - both were very easy to do. (well, work was not *always* the easiest thing to do - not if your best friends didn't happen to be busy at the time haha)

I think that's the best advice, is to work hard, but have just as much fun. Unwind with friends, and try plan your time well so that you actually can. I also highly recommend summer classes, my friends and I had TONS of fun every summer - you have so much free time, but you knock some credits out of the way so that your fall and spring can be more manageable.

Enjoy yourself too - it's an absolutely amazing time and unlike any part of your life will be again. I do love being done (you'll LOVE the free time you have to read things you WANT to read!) but I miss my college friends and all the amazing times we had together. Work hard, and you'll get through it.

[Dominique]

My uni term doesn't start up again until Feb 19, but I handle it with lots of coffee and I'm quite selective with what work I do. I try to start on the hardest assignments first and I do the most important class work. Law has about 4 hours of just reading a week for the one law class I do so I never actually do it all.

[Bina]

I agree that it´s all a matter of organization. The first year is supposed to be the hardest and I´ll have more choices of what classes to take next so I´m looking forward to that. I work on holidays to have enough time for studying and since I live in a house with only students (kind of like a dorm) there´s always someone to hang out with and relax. But I make sure to get enough sleep so I won´t nod off in class.

[gilmoreren]

I'm afraid I wasn't very organised at Uni. I managed to pull all-nighters to get assignments done and do a lot of pre-tutorial work spurts.

Now I'm in full time work, I'm also doing a post-grad certificate in PR in my spare time - I'm working much harder to prepare for that because it's my ticket to a new career and I've taken out a loan to pay for it!

Juggling work, home and school stuff is hard. It's all about discipline and flexibility - work to a plan but don't be afraid to change it, or let something slide temporarily for something more important!

[sagedautumn]

what i want to know is how u decide??
I am going insane trying to figure out where i want to go!! My mom's gone all sentimental and insists that i don't dorm and instead stay at home and commute but the nearest two colleges that i applied to are about 45 minutes away. Is it better if i commute or dorm and spend even more money on dorming expenses???

[Kristie]

With the ever growing prices of gas, it may end up being cheaper to dorm than spend that much money on gas. If you could, maybe look at apartments to share with a roommate or something because sometimes apartments will be cheaper than dorms. Like, next year Nick is rooming with 3 other guys in this great apartment that will cost him less (a person) to have the apartment year round than it would be to have a dorm for 9 months. I commute from my house because I still have 2 more sisters to go to college and I'm going to a pretty expensive college for my financial status as it is. It's cheaper plus I do really only live on the other side of town from the campus. But I think the answer's really up to you...if you can live in a dorm and want to, do that. If not, stay at home. It's up to you...

[gilmoreren]

sagedautumn said:

what i want to know is how u decide??
I am going insane trying to figure out where i want to go!! My mom's gone all sentimental and insists that i don't dorm and instead stay at home and commute but the nearest two colleges that i applied to are about 45 minutes away. Is it better if i commute or dorm and spend even more money on dorming expenses???

deciding is tough but aside from reading prospectuses, try to find alternative or independent reviews of places and look for the college student's website for their college - often there will be a forum to ask questions. And visit! Get a feel for the places on your shortlist.

Dorming/Living there will give you the whole college experience BUT it is more expensive. See how other people found it and work out what you'd prefer from there. Good luck!

[zeldafitzgerald]

sagedautumn said:

what i want to know is how u decide??
I am going insane trying to figure out where i want to go!! My mom's gone all sentimental and insists that i don't dorm and instead stay at home and commute but the nearest two colleges that i applied to are about 45 minutes away. Is it better if i commute or dorm and spend even more money on dorming expenses???

Dorm life is DEFINITELY worth it. I made most of my very dear college friends in the dorms. I had entirely too much fun. It should not have been allowed. My years living in the dorms were the best years of my life so far.

Alternatively, my high school best friend stayed at home, lived at home and went to the local university. and did not have an amazing time. She found it incredibly hard to meet friends, and was depressed still living at home.

It definitely depends on what's best for you and your budget, but I definitely recommend the dorms, and going a little ways away from home in order to grow as a person. I went about an hour and a half away, which I felt was perfect for me. It was a new location and exciting, but easy to get home whenever I wanted.

and ps: i think you would DREAD the 45 min commute! that's a lot!!!

[Bina]

45 minutes??? That´s like just around the corner! I commuted at first and it was a two hour travel to uni and then back again. And it wasn´t too bad. We don´t have dorms like that in Germany and moving doesn´t mean new friends even living in a house with only students like I do. The friends I made I met on campus and most people I know go home every weekend. But if you have dorms it´d make more sense to live there especially when so many do.

[Nathalie]

My commute to uni is 2 (2 1/2) hours also.... it's not bad at all, and I enjoy it so much (I love riding trains) that I won't move out of my parents house to a dorm

[Lu]

I live near uni, it takes me only 10 minutes by car or 1 hour by bus (it goes by a different way) so I stayed at my parents' house.
I had always wanted to go to uni in another city but moving into an apartment would be too expensive, uni don't have dorms here (public university, I don't know anything about private ones), there are some cheaper apartments available for students but is almost impossible finding a place. I'd love to live in dorms, it sounds like so exciting! and so fun!

[zeldafitzgerald]

I think commuting is definitely a lot different in the US though. Most US commutes (except in the big cites) are by car.

Train commutes are LOVELY, you can relax and read, and they aren't very expensive. I love that about my new location, I can ride the subway and read the whole way.

However, when you're driving 45 minutes each way it is much more demanding. You can't relax, you have to worry about weather conditions, and pay for the high price of gasoline.

I think that in the US 45 minutes is considered a somewhat long commute - not the longest obviously, but still sizable.

[Dominique]

I still live at home and I'm within 15 mins of the uni

[Bina]

Yeah, I ended up moving but I´m home every weekend and vacation cause I miss it so. Most of my friends at uni do so I guess I don´t even miss out that much. I thought about driving at first but it´s way too much stress.Going by train is great if I can get a seat. The ticket costs 92 euros per month though.